Extended Reality (XR) - Page 29

A patent uncovered by Dutch tech publication LetsGoDigital reveals that Sony is experimenting with inside out tracking and new controllers for a future iteration of its PlayStation VR HMD.

Sony is gearing up for the launch of the next PlayStation console, which is due to launch in less than two months. The new console is supposed to support the company's PSVR headset, but there have long been rumors of a new PlayStation headset coming down the pipeline. The newly published patent gives even more fuel to that rumor.

Sony filed for patent WO2020189691 - Input Device with the World Intelectual Property Organization (WIPO) in April 2020 and WIPO published it on September 24. The translated patent document describes a method of tracking controllers with "a plurality of light-emitting portions" with a headset-mounted camera.

A mysterious company called Photon Lens recently started dropping hints about its upcoming augmented reality smart glasses for the fitness industry. We've only a few details about the device, but what we know so far has us very intrigued.

Photon Lens appears to be a very new company or, at the very least, a secretive company. Photon Lens doesn't seem to have a website, and the company's LinkedIn and Twitter pages are just a few weeks old. During that time, Photon Lens has dropped several hints about the specifications of the device.

According to Photon Lens' social media posts, the new smart glasses will be the first "true augmented reality" device designed for the fitness industry. The headset offers a 50-degree field of view, which is comparable to HoloLens and Magic Leap. And the image should be crisp, thanks to 2 million pixels of resolution per eye. All in a package that weighs just 85 grams.

HP is gearing up to release the Reverb G2 VR headset finally. Today, the company announced that it would begin shipping Reverb G2 VR headsets to pre-order customers this coming November. Demand is high so new orders will see a delay.

HP's highly-anticipated Reverb G2 VR headset is just around the corner. The new device takes the dual 2160x2160 per eye displays from the original Reverb headset and combines them with technology derived from Valve's Index VR headset. Valve contributed the lenses, head strap, and the speakers that come equipped on the Reverb 2.

Along with the shipping windows announcement, HP revealed that the final version of the Reverb 2 would come with a few changes from the pre-production versions that some influencers have reviewed. HP said the retail Reverb G2 would include updated lenses that "reduce the Fresnel ring reflections and improve clarity." In other words, you should see fewer "godrays" through the new lenses compared to other headsets.

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey reportedly invested some of his money in SideQuest. This marketplace sells Oculus Quest apps that aren't approved for sale on Facebook's official Oculus Store.

Facebook treats the Oculus Quest as somewhat of a gaming console. It's a self-contained gaming device that's tethered to a platform-specific marketplace, just like an Xbox or PlayStation console. Facebook would prefer that Quest owners buy all their content through the Oculus Store, and the company goes through great lengths to ensure that every title on its store offers a high-quality experience.

Not every app meets Facebook's requirements, and when that happens, developers don't have much recourse. That happened to the founder of SideQuest, Shane Harris, when he submitted his title to the Oculus Store. The rejection inspired Harris to create the SideQuest marketplace as an alternative distribution solution for content that Facebook doesn't want to sell.

A few weeks ago, we stumbled upon a rumour about a new VR headset from HP that we had never heard of before called Reverb G2 Omnicept. HP has never confirmed the existence of such a device, but it looks like someone at the company temporarily published a page on its website that spills the beans.

HP's Reverb G2 is an upcoming VR headset, which features dual 4K displays and several features from Valve's Index headset, such as the head strap and over-the-ear speakers. The Omincept version of the Reverb G2 is rumoured to include several biometric scanners, such as iris tracking and mouth tracking cameras.

We don't yet know what the Reverb G2 Omnicept really does, nor do we know for a fact that it exists. However, Reddit user u/mFriedelVR posted a screenshot of HP's website that lists the rumoured headset in the VR drop-down menu. We checked HP's website to see for ourselves, but the link has either been removed or it never really existed in the first place.

HoloLens 2 is getting a significant feature upgrade. Microsoft released a new feature called Azure Object Anchors, which allow the HoloLens 2 to use physical objects to anchor 3D content. Say goodbye to QR code markers.

Azure Object Anchors is Microsoft's third cloud-backed service for Windows Mixed Reality. HoloLens 2 already supported Remote Rendering for streaming high-quality 3D content, and Spatial Anchors, which associates content with spaces.

Object Anchors adds another layer of granularity and allows developers to align content with physical objects. Microsoft said the new service uses the depth and geometry of physical objects to align 3D content, eliminates the need for manual alignment procedures that marker systems require.

Facebook last week announced Quest 2 and opened pre-orders for the new device. The company said it was prepared for high demand, but it seems to have underestimated how much people want a Quest 2.

The new Oculus Quest 2 is a spectacular device, and people really want to get their hands-on one. Facebook is selling the XR2-powered standalone headset for an astoundingly low $299, and that entry price seems to have sparked some attention. Quest 2 is supposed to ship on October 13, but if you don't have your order in yet, you're in for a bit of a wait.

Quest 2 is now backordered but just shy of a month in both the United States and Canada. Canadians can expect new orders of either Quest 2 model to arrive on November 10. Americans can get the 256GB model on November 3, but the 64GB version is backordered to November 9. If you live in the UK, you can get your hands-on a 64GB Quest 2 as early as October 20, but the 256GB version won't arrive until November 3.

Facebook appears to have quietly acquired a Singapore-based company called Lemnis Technologies for its proprietary varifocal lens technology. The company's founder is now working for Facebook Reality Labs.

According to a report from yivian.com, a Chinese AR/VR news site, Facebook acquired Lemnis Technologies earlier this year. Neither Facebook nor Lemnis Technologies revealed the transaction, but several pieces line up to give credence to the idea.

For starters, Lemnis Technologies' co-founder and CEO, Pierre-Yves Laffont, is now working for Facebook Reality Labs. Laffont's LinkedIn page reveals that his role as CEO at Lemnis ended in January 2020, and he joined Facebook Singapore in February 2020.

IDC, one of the worlds leading data analysis companies, released its latest forecast for the VR headset industry. The firm believes that the market will suffer a 6% depression on VR headset sales in 2020, but sales will rebound hard with an increase of over 45% next year.

IDC's Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker report highlights the AR and VR industries' state. According to IDC, sales of VR headsets are down this year compared to last. Mid-year sales were affected by supply issues brought on by the manufacturing shutdowns earlier this year. Now that we're approaching the tail end of the year, headset sales are likely to increase.

"We're seeing increased interest in VR from both consumer and commercial buyers," said Tom Mainelli, group vice president, Device & Consumer Research at IDC. "However, a confluence of events made for a tough first half of 2020 in terms of headset unit volumes, even as demand increased. We expect a sizeable increase in shipment volume during the second half of this year as production ramps up, and new products launch into the market, and VR should see a return to robust growth in 2021."

Last week,Facebook revealed Quest 2, the company's next standalone VR headset. Facebook is betting big on Quest 2, and the company is making an effort to give you a reason to justify the purchase. Not only is Quest 2 an excellent gaming platform, but Infinite Office will also make it a great productivity tool.

Facebook's Infinite Office is not yet available but got a bit of a preview last week at Facebook Connect. VR companies have always touted the productivity benefits of VR, such as group collaboration and the ability to customize your workspace. Productivity tools were on the roadmap for Oculus products, but the global pandemic and the current work-from-home reality that many of us are living accelerated the rollout.

With Infinite Office, you'll be able to use a Quest 2 headset to do your everyday work. The platform offers a multi-window solution that facilitates multitasking. You can have a browser window open next to a document that you're working on, along with a chat window to keep in contact with co-workers.

UltraLeap announced the availability of the Stereo IR 170 hand tracking module for hardware and software developers. The evaluation kit will enable headset makers to design devices with embedded UltraLeap sensor, and for software developers to prepare for that future.

UltraLeap's hand tracking solution is the evolution of the company's Leap Motion hand tracking peripheral. The Stereo IR 170 offers a wider field of view than the Leap Motion sensor (170-degrees x 170 degrees versus 150-degrees x 120-degrees), and it can see your hands at up to 75cm from the sensor.

UltraLeap's new sensor is also more compact and draws less power than the Leap Motion unit, making it suitable fordirect integration into VR and AR devices.

VividQ, a software company specializing in computer-generated holography (CGH), and ARM, the worlds leading mobile processor maker, announced a partnership that would enable holographic displays next-generation mobile phones and AR device.

VividQ and ARM are working together to ensure that VividQ's computer-generated holography (CGH) software is compatible with ARM processors. VividQ works with a host of industries, including automotive, medical, and aerospace, and the company has now set its sights on the AR/VR industry. The partnership with ARM will ensure that VividQ's platform works on future mobile devices such as smartphones and AR smart glasses.

"Our hope is to jumpstart the expansion and adoption of AR, empowering it with a revolutionary new display technology," said Tom Durrant, Co-founder and Chief Development Officer at VividQ. "Our collaboration with Arm - an international player in high-performance integrated compute solutions - supports the ambitious roll-out of holographic display, powered by VividQ. The Arm Mali GPU is perfect for computationally intensive applications, such as Computer-Generated Holography. We are delighted to be working closely with Arm to bring truly realistic and immersive holographic experiences to life."

Locomotion in VR has been a problem since day one. How do you simulate moving a long distance, when you can't physically move a long distance due to space limitations or cable length restrictions? Many solutions have been proposed, including software methods like teleportation and hardware methods like omnidirectional treadmills. EKTO VR believes it has a better solution. Especially for enterprise-level training solutions.

EKTO VR's EKTO One is a pair of robotic boots that can transform a small VR training space into an infinite virtual environment that you can walk around naturally. The EKTO One boots use computer-controlled wheels that work against you as you walk to make it feel like you're moving forward when you're walking in place.

Each EKTO VR boot features four wheels, two in the front and two in the back, that roll against you when you walk and lock in place when you stand still. The system uses hip and ankle movement detection to determine when your walking, and the wheel react accordingly. The boots support forward and backwards movement, as well as side to side strafe movement. The wheels on the bottom rotate 90-degrees when you walk sideways. EKTO VR said the system uses four robotics-grade motors to control the wheels and four motors to handle the rotation. The boots are built from rugged materials, including a carbon fibre structure and industrial-grade electronics. EKTO VR uses the Vive Tracker platform to integrate the boots with HTC Vive or Valve Index VR headsets.

Facebook's Project ARIA is a research device that will set the stage for the future of everyday computing. The data that Facebook collects from this project will give them insights into building the infrastructure necessary to build contextualized, persistent, multi-user augmented experiences.

Facebook Reality Labs has big plans for augmented reality. The company envisions a future where always-on AR glasses could be an integral part of our every day lives. But before we got to that point, there's much research to be done and Facebook's XR research department, FRL Research, is about to take a significant step towards laying the necessary foundations for that future.

During Facebook Connect, Facebook Reality Labs revealed Project ARIA. This research device will enable Facebook to gather much needed egocentric (i.e., first-person) data to help lay the foundational pieces for a world-scale spatial map.

A couple of weeks ago, Qualcomm and Ultraleap announced a multi-year deal that would see Ultraleap's hand-tracking technology integrated into Qualcomm's XR2 extended reality platform. We guessed that the upcoming Quest 2 would take advantage of this technology, but it turns out we were wrong.

Qualcomm's XR2 platform powers oculus Quest 2, but Facebook does not use Ultraleap's technology. Facebook Reality Labs put a lot of time and effort into developing its hand-tracking solution for the Quest headset, and it isn't about to throw that investment out the window.

Quest 2 utilizes the same tracking technology-albeit improved--as the first Quest headset. The new headset has different cameras, and obviously more power to process the hand-tracking data to provide a better tracking experience. Facebook Reality Labs developers and researchers also had more than a year to fine-tune the tracking software.

Oculus just announced the Quest 2 standalone VR headset, and alongside the headset reveal, the company also announced that it would sell a collection of accessories for the new device.

Out of the box, the Quest 2 includes a compact fabric head strap, which is sufficient for most people. Facebook also designed a pair of rigid straps that offer a sturdier fitment and better weight balance for those who want something more robust.

The Elite Strap is a basic rigid strap that cups the back of your head for more support. You can also get an Elite Strap with Battery, which includes a battery pack in the rear to double the Quest 2 headset's runtime. The battery pack also acts as a counterweight in case you find the headset front heavy.

Facebook just revealed the Quest 2, which is a major step forward for standalone VR headsets. It's also a far superior PCVR headset than the company's current Rift S product. Rather than compete with itself for market share in two segments, the Oculus brand is stepping away from dedicated PCVR in favor of its hybrid approach.

The shift to standalone shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention to the direction of VR advancements, but it still represents a significant change for a company that can trace its roots back to the PC enthusiast community.

So, what does this mean for the Rift S? Well, its days are numbered, to be sure. Oculus plans to phase out the Rift S by the spring of 2021, which would put its lifecycle at right around two years. There's no reason to believe that Facebook will discontinue support for the headset any time soon, though. The Oculus Rift CV1 still works with all Rift content, and the discontinued Oculus Go will remain supported for at least two more years.

Facebook just revealed Quest 2 and it turns out the leaked specs that seemed too good to be true, were real. The next generation of Oculus VR is looking impressive.

Quest 2 features the latest Qualcomm processor, an XR2 5G, which is a huge jump from Quest's Snapdragon 835 processor. It also includes 50% more memory than the original model. Developers now have 6GB to build even more impressive experiences.

The display in Quest 2 offers a massive bump in resolution. The original model gives you 1400 x 1600 pixels per eye. The new headset gives you an incredible 1830 x 1920 pixels per eye. The fast-switching LCD also operates at a faster refresh rate than the outgoing model. Quest 2 operates at 72Hz like Quest, but the display supports 90Hz and developers have the option to take advantage of the higher speed.

The first digital developer conference dedicated to all things Oculus is set to kick off on September 16 at 10 am PT. Here is what to expect and which presentations you do not want to miss.

Every year, Facebook makes its most significant XR announcements at Connect, and this year should be no different. There have already been many leaks, including details about the next standalone VR headset, Quest 2, its performance specifications, and a possible price. Facebook's leaky faucet also spit out a few game titles ahead of time, but we are willing to bet Facebook Reality Labs has more to share.

Facebook Connect is largely a developer conference, so the big announcements will come from the few customer-centric presentations. The event starts with the opening keynote presentation. That is the one you do not want to miss.

Facebook recently announced that it would force users to merge their Oculus accounts with a Facebook account. Starting in October, new Oculus users and people who purchase a new headset *cough-Quest 2-cough* will be required to use a Facebook account to sign up. Existing user accounts will have two years to make the switch.

Naturally, this new change has garnered some backlash. People are understandably concerned about merging accounts for different services. It may even be illegal in Germany, which spurred Facebook to halt sales of Oculus hardware in the country, at least for now.

The change also got people wondering what will happen if you get banned from one of Facebook's many services, and you probably aren't going to like what Facebook had to say about it. RoadToVR recently spoke with a representative at Facebook Reality Labs to clarify the situation, and what they learned will alarm many people. If you get banned from Facebook's services, you could also lose access to the content you purchase on the Oculus platform. What's more, it doesn't seem like you will be able to create a new account either, because accounts that use fake names and dates of birth violate Facebook's Community Standards.